Southampton FC: Saints in Red and White

The Lions are headed to England where they’ll play two matches in as many days. First they take on Southampton FC at St Mary’s Stadium (August 7 at 16:00 CEST) and the following day Marcelino’s lads travel to Anfield in order to play Liverpool FC (August 8 at 17:00 CEST).

Southampton FC, also known as the Saints, have been a staple of English top-flight football over the last 55 years.

Last season, Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men finished 15th in the Premier League, while Danny Ings was their top goalscorer with 12 strikes.

Apart from wearing the same home colours, there are a lot of historic connections between the Lions and the Saints.

We’ve compiled a list of facts about the south-coast club, so you can get to know the team and the city better:

• The Club was formed in 1885 by St. Mary’s Church of England Young Men’s Association, this is where the nickname ‘the Saints’ comes from.
• First promoted to top tier in 1966, since then they’ve spent 43 seasons in the English first division.
• The Saints’ only major honour to date is an FA Cup final win in 1976. Southampton FC beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the trophy.
• The two teams have faced each other five times before. The first meeting was in the UEFA Cup in 1971-72, while the most recent clash was a friendly at St Mary’s in 2016-17.
• Athletic Club’s red-and-white striped shirts come from Southampton FC. In 1910, player and board member Juan Elorduy bought the kits while in the city and waiting for the ferry back to Bilbao.
• Legendary Athletic keeper Raimundo Lezama got his start at Southampton FC after moving to the city as a refugee during the Spanish Civil War. He even played for the Saints in unofficial matches during World War II.
• Former Southampton FC attacking midfielder Matt Le Tissier was the first recipient of Athletic Club’s One-Club Man Award.
• Southampton FC have a prolific academy, which regularly produces international footballers: Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier, Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Luke Shaw James Ward-Prowse (current club captain) and many more.
• They’ve played their home games at 32,000-seater St Mary’s Stadium since 2001. Before that, they had played at The Dell since 1898.
• The Saints share a fierce rivalry with Portsmouth FC. It is known as the ‘South Coast Derby’.
• The city of Southampton belongs to the county of Hampshire and is home to one of the largest and busiest commercial shipping ports in Europe. Some of the world’s largest cruise ships can regularly be seen in the city’s harbour.